Code Vein: Lost In The Shadows

Spin A Thread Of Memories

"We have to go back to old city ruins. There must be something we missed there." Louis stated, "Anyway, let's get going."

Ayn and Yakumo started to walk, however, the sound of a gunshot made them stop in their tracks. Yakumo turned around and saw Louis fall to his knees.

"Louis!!!" Yakumo's scream made Ayn turn around, his eyes widening when he saw the blood staining Louis's clothes.

Louis got shot near his heart, more left and the bullet would have pierced his heart. Everything that happened hit Ayn hard, he stood still as if frozen, unable to process the current situation.

Yakumo crouched down near Louis, he used his hand to cover the hole made by the bullet. Quickly his hand was covered in blood, he couldn't stop the bleeding like this.

"This is bad, there is too much blood." Yakumo panicked.

Louis grabs Yakumo's hand. "It's fine... even... if I die... I will come... back."

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that watching you die is painful." Yakumo squeezed Louis's hand.

Ayn hesitantly walked slowly towards Louis and Yakumo. He felt the strength leave his body, falling to his knees next to Louis. Ayn finally, cried his heart out; cried all of his fear, the fear of being a failure; the fear of being left by others; the fear of not having anyone beside him; the fear of not surviving this battle. He finally cried after all this time he buried them deep enough.

Ayn doesn't want to lose anybody,
but in the end of the road, he will lose himself, unfortunately. Because he think and care more about others than about himself, and that's what hurt Louis to the core.

He reached out his hand, touching Ayn's face, wiping the tears away with his fingers. Louis thought that Ayn shouldn't cry, not when this isn't a goodbye, they will see each other again. Dying and coming back to life is a normal occurrence for all revenants, but even if that is the case, many cry when they see their loved ones die in front of their eyes.

For some time now, Louis had noticed that Ayn doesn't see him as a simple comrade. That boy usually doesn't show much of his emotions, yet he looks at Louis with such a gentle expression. Even if he claims that those feelings don't belong to him, Louis can make sure that those feelings belong to him and no one else.

Ayn might feel guilty for falling in love with the very man Rathion loved with all his heart, trying to ignore and suppress his own feelings. Louis wants Ayn to express those feelings, to show him clearly the love he has been hiding all this time.

For Ayn to speak out, Louis must show him that his heart no longer belongs to Rathion. He did indeed love Rathion in the past, but now he can't be clear with those feelings as he has lost all memories about him. That's why Louis can't be clear about his feelings towards Ayn, because if he ends up remembering the love he had for Rathion, what will happen to the feelings he has for Ayn?

Thinking about it wouldn't do him any good, especially in the condition he's in. Right now, comforting Ayn should be one of the things on Louis' mind and the other is finding the revenant that shot him.

"Ayn, you should stay with Louis." Yakumo suggested. "I'll look around to see if I can find whoever fired that bullet."

"Will you be okay going alone?" Ayn asked worriedly as he tried to wipe away his tears.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Yakumo reassured him and walks away.

Ayn holds Louis in his arms, patiently waiting for Yakumo's return. He remained silent and did his best not to pay much attention to the current situation. Louis will surely come back to life, he knows, but he still cried like a baby.